Walking the City Streets

After work this evening I dropped my bag at the hotel, changed my clothes, and set out along the river to the bar I have visited for the last several nights. While sitting quietly and sipping a beer, I watched the world go by while chatting with a friend on the internet, and called home to catch up with the adventures of my children.

Watching the sun slowly fall in the sky, it occurred to me that it might be fun to walk the city streets and take a few photos. There’s something about long shadows that I’ve always liked. So rather than return to the hotel with food from the supermarket, I stopped at a japanese restaurant for something to eat, and then headed straight into the city.

While walking I saw life happening all around me – business people leaving for the day, couples heading out for the evening, city-dwellers cycling this way and that among the traffic, and older people sitting in cafes – talking animatedly, and occasionally lifting the mood around them with booming laughter.

It occurred to me that here I was, in the middle of a beautiful city, taking photos of so many things – so many moments, and really it meant very little because I had nobody to share it with. Sure, I posted photos to Instagram when I got back, but it’s not the same as walking hand in hand with somebody, and sharing discoveries – quiet corners, back streets, and unexpected scenes unfolding before you.

Sometimes things just seem so much more powerful when shared with another. It doesn’t have to be a partner – it could be a friend, a family member, an acquaintance, or even a co-worker. I’m sure the pscho-analysis crowd would pull my thoughts to pieces and equate them to something missing during childhood. Come to think of it, I never did get that Micronaut Battle Cruiser when I was 7 years old.

Anyway. Apologies for lighting Instagram up a little earlier this evening. If I had not shared at least a little of the sights experienced during my walk through the streets of Frankfurt earier, I would have ended up questioning the reason for being here at all.